"Survival of the fittest is the only rule of the game.
If you're strong, you live... Too weak, you die.
But... Don't worry.
And I'm strong so..."
========================================================================
"Tenken no Chris"
King of Fighters '98 Chris Guide
Version 1.1, by Tony W.
========================================================================
v1.1 6/10/98 Revised according to feedback from KoF ML members.
Updates throughout; most minor, some not so minor.
v1.0 29/09/98 First released version.
The latest version of this guide can be found at:
http://www.adelaide.net.au/~miku/chris.txt
Please feel free to email me (
[email protected]) any suggestions,
additions, corrections, or other comments you may have.
Contents
--------
1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose of this document
1.2 Why Chris is cool
1.3 Changes from '97
2. Background Stuff
2.1 Biography
2.2 Colours
2.3 Intros, Quotes, etc
3. Moves
3.1 Normals
3.2 Command attacks & throws
3.3 Specials
3.4 DMs
4. Strategy
4.1 Combos
4.2 Advanced vs. Extra
4.3 Elements of gameplay
4.4 Matchups
5. Acknowledgements/Credits
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Introduction
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1 Purpose of this document
-----------------------------
The purpose of this document is to provide information about the
Cephalopod Anthraxia Virus (CeAV). The Cephalopod Anthraxia Virus is a
virus which affects both the metabolism and nervous system of most
species of this well known family of molluscs. It is of concern
particularly to captive breeders for two reasons. Firstly, the
conditions available in a typical closed aquarium environment are very
favourable to the virus. Secondly, several frequently "domesticated"
species such as the common and dwarf octopodes, as well as several
varieties of commonly bred cuttlefish, are particularly susceptible to
the virus.
Additionally, it should be noted that the information contained herein
is on the whole equally applicable to both the "Advanced" and "Extra"
strains of the virus. Although in the author's experience the Advanced
strain is typically more commonly diagnosed, the particular nature of
this virus makes both strains equally dangerous. Where differences in
symptoms and/or treatment exist between the two strains, it will be
explicitly noted in the text.
As with most related pathogens, the virus has a tendency to mutate
approximately every year or so. This document deals exclusively with the
most recently appearing variety (_Arachnis Scumii_ sp.), first described
in July 1998. This species differs enough from its immediate ancestor
that no familiarity with the (comparatively rare) latter virus will be
assumed herein, save a brief primer for those whose experience is based
on treatment of the 1997 outbreaks.
Finally, this document will not address the oft-confused but unrelated
family of viruses, _Orochii_ sp. Although one subspecies of the latter
bears certain superficial structural resemblances to the _A. Scumii_
genus, symptoms and treatment are radically different enough to merit
an entirely separate document. It has also been observed (with some
relief) in the literature that, not only has this year's strain of
_Orochii Minimus_ become easier for researchers to cultivate in the
laboratory, it has also decreased considerably in virulence.
1.2 Why Chris is cool
----------------------
"One is the 'Tenken' Soujiro, that smiling little brat..."
If you're not interested in listening to my ramblings about fighting
game and anime characters, skip this section :)
It's weird, but in any new fighting game I seem to always end up playing
the character(s) I at first say I hate and/or am never going to touch.
When KoF'97 first came out, I hardly gave Chris a second look. Early on,
I remember being of the opinion that he was actually a girl. Once it was
generally accepted this wasn't the case, he became simply a "cute" kid
character with an annoying voice (and an annoying jump CD, hahaha). Not
the sort of character I'd normally ever think of taking up. So what if
he turned out to be the mortal incarnation of the major villain of the
entire KoF series. Yawn. Plot stuff doesn't interest me much.
To discover the true coolness of Chris one must look to the samurai
anime Rurouni Kenshin, which I first saw a few months after KoF'97's
release. My theory is that Chris was (rather heavily) based on the
character Seta Soujiro - the ruthless killer with the appearance and
disposition of a polite, inscrutably cheerful adolescent boy. A prodigy
at _kenjutsu_ (Japanese swordsmanship), Soujiro is the right hand of the
chief nemesis of the story. Having no emotions beneath his deceptively
sunny exterior, his warped childlike amorality allows him to kill in
cold blood with a smile on his face. There's a lot more I could say
about why I think this character simply kicks ass, but since this is a
Chris guide I'll confine myself to the similarities to Chris. And I
guess it's weird, but before listing them I should advise anyone
intending to watch this anime that the following may contain SPOILERS!
:) OK, with that out of the way...
- Soujiro looks just like Chris! The face is the same, and he has the
same overgrown bowl haircut you see in some of Chris's portraits
(check Chris's '98 "life bar portrait" for an example).
- Their voices are very similar, both fundamentally and in the tone in
which they speak.
- Personality wise, it's easy to imagine any of Chris's quotes coming
from Soujiro, and vice versa.
- Both are introduced as relatively innocuous characters, but are later
revealed to be among the most dangerous enemies in their respective
stories. Stretching it a bit, both also form part of a core
man/woman/boy triumvirate of adversaries.
- Chris's A button colour scheme (blue top and white pants) matches
Soujiro's fighting outfit rather well, despite the obvious period
differences in their clothing.
- Both their fighting styles are oriented around "speed based attacks."
('98 Chris's teleport is particularly reminiscent of Soujiro.)
- Have you noticed Chris's "foot tapping" animation in the background
while a team mate is fighting? It's similar to what Soujiro does when
setting himself for a "Shukuchi" attack.
- The key ring figurine of Chris has him doing the same thing, only it's
even more Soujiro-like.
- Chris's pose during the DM flash of his Twister Drive (QCBx2+K) DM
looks somewhat like Soujiro poised to unleash a "Bathow-jutsu" (minus
the sword of course :P). You can find a scan of the latter at:
http://www.adelaide.net.au/~miku/soujiro.jpg
I don't know if the inspiration has been officially acknowledged
anywhere, but suffice it to say there is no doubt in my mind that the
character of Chris was ripped off of this guy (since I'm pretty sure the
source material of the anime predates KoF'97 by several years). Hell, in
my mind, Chris _is_ Soujiro, somehow transported in time to the modern
age :) Just for interest's sake, a "shrine" to the Soujiro character
can be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Dojo/4059/ Have a look
and see if you agree with me.
Conversely, if you are already a fan of Chris (or even if you're not,
but _especially_ if you are) and haven't seen the anime Rurouni Kenshin,
let me humbly suggest that YOU MUST SEE IT NOW! Particularly episodes 28
through 62, which form the story arc containing the Chris guy (although
earlier episodes contain important background material). Pester your
local anime club, or if you are extremely rich you can order the
fansubbed tapes from the so-called Shin Sen Gumi at:
http://www.concentric.net/~Mibu/
Anyway, that's pretty much the only reason I started playing KoF's very
own "smiling little brat." Now that I've bored you to death with all
that, we can get on with the rest of the guide :)
1.3 Changes from '97
---------------------
"Such a mystery. Why would you get so strong so quickly..."
I think it would be fair to say that '98 Chris is a completely different
character from '97 Chris. His most useful special from '97, the QCF+P
Slide Touch, is now obsolete at best. Conversely, the HCB Shooting
Dancer moves, which were peripheral to say the least in '97, are now
central to his gameplay. So too is the new DP+K which has replaced the
equivalent "style points only" Hunting Air of '97. Two of his more
useful normals (the low C and far D) have been replaced. He has gained
two new command attacks - a long ranged overhead and an extremely useful
slide - as well as a teleport and a short ranged version of Orochi
Yashiro's infamous so-called Scum Spider.
Some things have remained the same though. His two most useful air
attacks, the jump D and the evolutionary throwback to '96 jump CD, have
remained unchanged. His low B and stand B have likewise survived the
transition and remain his two best poking moves at their respective
ranges. For combos, his close C and fwd+A command attack are the same as
they were in '97. His air QCF+K special remains intact, and may be
employed in the same way this year. He has gained no new DMs, and the
existing two haven't changed, at least appearance-wise. Finally, his
peculiar ground CD is still there.
Overall, Chris is a lot stronger this year. A lower tier character in
'97, he can now hold his own among the upper echelons of '98's rankings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Background Stuff
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.1 Biography
--------------
Of course, we all know the _real_ origin of Chris, but just to bulk the
guide up a bit, I'll put this stuff in :) Thanks to Kao Megura's '97
FAQ for this bit.
CHRIS
-----
NATIONALITY: Swedish
BIRTH DATE: 5/3/1983
LENGTH: 160 cm
MASS: 48 kg
BLOOD TYPE: AB + Orochi
HOBBIES: Cooking
FAVORITE FOOD: Butan
FAVORITE SPORT: Orienteering
MOST VALUABLE: Nature
HATES THE MOST: Gummy candy, people who touch his head
FIGHTING STYLE: No particular style, mainly speed-based attacks
Hahaha, "people who touch his head." :) Man I love reading these "hates
the most" sections. Celery. Grasshoppers. Eggplants. The list goes on.
Plus, need I mention the reference to "speed-based attacks?" :)
2.2 Colours
------------
A - Light blue shirt/shoes, white pants.
His old A button Advanced colour from '97. For reasons alluded to
earlier, this is one of my favourite colours :)
B - Dark red shirt/shoes, white pants.
It's darker than his old D button Advanced colour from '97. More
like Orochi Chris's '97 A button Advanced colour. Anyway, I don't
pick this one much.
C - Dark blue shirt/shoes, white pants.
The blue is pretty close to his A button Extra colour in '97, maybe
a bit darker. Matches a blue Heidern and Yuri quite nicely, if
you're into that sort of thing.
D - Grey shirt/shoes, white pants.
This is my other favourite colour, since it sort of matches the grey
Leona whom I have on my team quite often.
2.3 Intros, Quotes, etc
------------------------
"You can't leave this room if you don't beat me.
Please, be ready to fight."
Generic Intro
-------------
Hands behind his back, Chris regards his opponent and amiably remarks
"Yadana, tsuyosou." (Roughly, "Oh no, he/she looks strong.") He then
calmly assumes his trademark fighting stance without changing
expression. This is the generic intro he had in '97. It's the same
whether he's first up or not.
Vs. Yashiro
-----------
Chris raises one arm in greeting and cries delightedly "YA-shiro!"
Yashiro gives a quick "Yo!" in return.
Vs. Shermie
-----------
Chris raises one arm in greeting and cries delightedly "Shermie!"
Except he somehow manages to get three syllables out of it :) Anyway,
it sounds cool. Shermie waves back and says "hi!" It's particularly
cool if you manage to get these two consecutively.
Vs. Kim
-------
Facing an evil opponent as he is, Kim performs his "evil is
unforgiveable!" opening. Initially his back is to the screen. His eye
glints. As he turns to face Chris, he declares "Aku wa yurusan!"
followed by a short "huh!" battle cry as he faces up. Chris does his
generic intro.
Vs. Chizuru
-----------
Against any member of the New Face Team (and certain other Orochi-
related characters), Chizuru has a special opening similar to the one
she had in '97 vs. Orochi himself. She faces up in a ceremonial robe of
some sort and waves a streamer type thing back and forth for a while.
For his part, Chris doesn't do anything special.
Vs. Yamazaki
------------
The sight of Chris (or indeed any member of the NFT) causes Yamazaki's
Orochi blood to boil. He clutches his head and laughs insanely, then
does a brief Snake Arm windup before assuming his normal pose. Chris
just faces up normally.
Vs. Rugal
---------
Finally confronting the source of the Orochi power he has long sought,
Rugal leans back and laughs maniacally. He then looks at Chris and says
something like "I was waiting for this chance!" Again, Chris just faces
up normally :)
Victory Poses
-------------
A - The A button pose from '97. Chris turns away from the screen, hands
behind his back, looks up, and casually wonders aloud "Ashita mo
hareru kana?" ("Will it be sunny again tomorrow?") I guess this is
his most contemptuous win pose.
B - The B button pose from '97. Hands clasped in front of him, Chris
smiles as he faces his fallen opponent and cheerfully pronounces
"Tanoshikatta desu... hai?" ("It was fun... yes?") Seems to be
applicable after a close, hard fought round.
C - You guessed it - the C button pose from '97. Chris puts his hands
behind his back, smiles as he faces his fallen opponent, and lets
out a short happy chuckle. Fairly generic in application. But it's
probably the most reminiscent of you-know-who, so it's one of my
favourites.
D - The much awaited NEW POSE! Smiling, Chris puts his hands behind his
back, turns his body away from his opponent while still looking in
their direction over his shoulder, and lets out the same short
happy chuckle. Man, the first time I saw this pose I had to make
sure I hadn't somehow slipped into a parallel universe, it's so
different :)
Winning quote (text)
--------------------
"You make me laugh, chump. And laugh. And laugh. And laugh."
Chump? Hmm. As with most of these things, the less said about that the
better probably :)
Taunt
-----
Chris shrugs, palms outward, as he appeals to the heavens with a
slightly puzzled/exasperated expression on his face. He says, um...
something in Japanese (I need translations dammit! Someone with my
part-time anime fan's vocabulary doesn't have a hope. Unless it's
something like "Hello, sorry, are you an idiot? I can't forgive you.
Don't worry. Bye!" :P). Rather than a taunt, to me it seems like the
kind of thing that's appropriate after _you've_ just stuffed up a
relatively simple combo or made some other idiotic mistake. For example,
it looks kind of cool immediately after a botched Scum Spider followup.
I'd be really interested to know what he actually says though.
Background animation
--------------------
Before he fights: Chris is listening to a walkman. He shuffles/taps one
foot and nods to the beat, head down. When his team-mate lands a hit he
gives a brief thumbs-up (without raising his head). When his team-mate
is hit, he winces but again doesn't look up. If his team-mate wins he
looks up and pulls the walkman plugs out of his ears. If his team-mate
loses he looks up and simply smiles and shrugs. After all, this world is
a survival of the fittest.
After he's defeated: He's slumped in an awkward kneeling position, one
shoulder showing. Looks a lot like Yuri's time-out loss, actually. He
won't move from this position unless a team-mate subsequently wins, in
which case Chris looks up with a big grin on his face.
KO
--
As he flies backward to hit the ground for the final time, Chris's voice
trails off as he gasps: "Ah - hikari ga..." ("Ah - the light is...").
Cool huh?
Time-out loss
-------------
Chris turns his back to the screen and seems to be gazing at his open
palm. If you want to try and interpret it... um, the hand represents
his fighting style/ability, and he is wondering how it let him down.
Cryptic enough for you? :)
Getting up animation
--------------------
I wouldn't normally mention something trifling like this, but have you
ever really _looked_ at it? He just sort of "peels" himself off the
ground from the head down, without any visible leverage or assistance
from his arms or legs. It's quite uncanny. Definitely a weird kid :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Moves
------------------------------------------------------------------------
When describing Chris's moves I'll rate each one's usefulness on a scale
of one to five "stars," a technique pioneered by Andrew Park and Greg
Kasavin in their excellent '97 Kim and Yashiro guides respectively (both
are available at
http://www.gamefaqs.com ).
3.1 Normals
------------
Standing A
----------
I can't really see any point distinguishing between the far and close
versions. They both look identical (a short, standing jab) and are both
interruptable. So I'll just regard it as the one crap-ranged,
whiffs-on-a-lot-of-crouchers move. Pretty much the only useful thing
about it is that it is interruptable and links after a low B. Even
there, Chris has better options.
Usefulness: Nigh useless [*----]
Far B
-----
A quick standing kick to the opponent's side with the far leg. This is
Chris's best stationary poke. It's quick, has good range, will hit
crouchers (as in it won't whiff), and will stuff hops and jump attempts
from within its range. Use it liberally, either as a simple poke or to
gain the initiative prior to some other form of offence.
Usefulness: Very useful [*****]
Close B
-------
An interruptable high kick done with the near leg. It can be linked
after a low B. Has more range than the standing A, and, despite its
appearance, it never whiffs on crouchers.
Usefulness: Fairly useless [**---]
Far C
-----
A short ranged elbow followed by a long ranged backfist strike with the
other arm for a total of two hits. Looks a bit like his fwd+A command
attack. The first hit (the elbow) is interruptable, which is useful
because it doesn't matter so much if you get this instead of a close C,
so you don't have to be so worried about getting close enough. Other
than that overlap, I don't see this as being very useful. It's not a
terrible move by itself, but for any possible application Chris has a
better option.
Usefulness: Marginally useful [***--]
Close C
-------
A single hit standing uppercut delivered with both hands clasped
together. Interruptable and doesn't whiff on crouchers. This is your
best move to start a combo from close-in when your opponent is
vulnerable, as well as your best move to follow up a deep jump-in
attack. You'll pretty much always want to interrupt it into a fwd+A +
followup. Don't be too shy about the range, because the first hit of the
far C serves much the same purpose (although you have to be a bit
quicker to interrupt the latter).
Usefulness: Quite useful [****-]
Far D
-----
Chris leans back and performs a high roundhouse kick with one leg. About
its only useful property is that it provides a mediocre alternative to
the low C as a normal move air defence. If you've got time to think
about it, use the low C if the jumper is more out in front of you, and
the standing D if they are closer to being overhead. If you haven't got
time to think about it, just use the low C (of course a kick DP or DM is
usually a better choice than either).
Usefulness: Fairly useless [**---]
Close D
-------
Another interruptable high kick, higher and closer to the body than the
close B. The handstand from '97 has been replaced with what appears to
be recycled animation from the apex of a Twister Drive DM.
I haven't really found a use for this move. It would constitute a
potential alternative to the close C for combo purposes, except that
(peculiarly) you _can't interrupt it into command attacks (ie. the
fwd+A), only specials._ To my knowledge it's unique among single button
normals in that respect, although the same property can be found in many
ground CDs.
Intuitively you might also expect it to be useful as an air defence
against crossup attempts, but I've almost never seen it work well like
that. About the only time I see this move is when Chris is walking in
for a D throw attempt but the opponent is out of range/in block stun/
jumping.
Usefulness: Nigh useless [*----]
Stand CD
--------
Leaving the ground completely for a moment, Chris twists horizontally in
mid-air as he thrusts forward with both legs for a single interruptable
hit. Being a CD, it will knock the opponent over if it connects. It's
slow to come out, but the fact that it leaves the ground means that it
can, at least in theory, be used on anticipation to pass over low
attacks from the opponent and hit them. Unfortunately it tends to whiff
on some crouching characters, the combination of which two facts can
lead to some amusing exchanges :) It's also something to keep in mind
when you're contemplating doing a CD counter with Chris - if it's a low
attack you're CD countering, it's possible you'll miss them.
Note that despite the fact Chris is off the ground, he's still
considered to be on the ground as regards what specials he can interrupt
the standing CD into. That is to say, he could interrupt it into a Scum
Spider (DP+P) for example, but not a Glider Stomp (QCF+K in the air).
Note also that, like many CDs, you _may not chain a command attack off
it_ despite the fact that it is interruptable. No big deal really, but
an interesting piece of trivia nontheless.
Just as a final useless piece of information, the animation is also used
for his "throw escape." Yuri is like this too. Hell, maybe everyone is
and I've been too thick to notice it.
Usefulness: Fairly useless [**---]
Low A
-----
A simple interruptable crouching jab. This move isn't particularly fast
for a low A, in fact both range and speedwise it loses out to the low B.
So this isn't your move to be used in close-range poke wars - you want
the low B for that. Where this move can be useful is in link combos. For
example, it can be linked after a low B and then interrupted into a
fwd+A or whatever else. It's got the best range out of your possible
options here, and obviously won't whiff on crouchers :)
Furthermore, the low A can itself be linked into a low C (the first hit
of which can then be interrupted into a fwd+A or whatever else). See the
combo and strategy sections for more details.
This move can be blocked either high or low.
Usefulness: Marginally useful [***--]
Low B
-----
Chris supports himself with his hands briefly as he performs a fast stab
at the opponent's shins with his near leg. The result is a single
non-interruptable hit that must be blocked low. Both very fast and
deceptively long, this is the move you'll be using in close-in poke war
situations. Use it liberally, either as simple push back (nothing gets
the job done like a low B barrage followed by a standing B barrage), or
to gain the initiative so you can attempt some nasty in-close tactic
like a crossup hop/jump D, Scum Spider, fwd+B overhead, or maybe a
simple walk-in throw.
If you're close enough you can even start combos off this move by
linking it into a low A, close standing B, standing A, or low C. What
more could you ask for?
Usefulness: Very useful [*****]
Low C
-----
A rising two hit punch done from a semi-kneeling position. The first hit
is interruptable. This move replaces Chris's awesome '97 low C, and
predictably it's not as good. It's still quite useful as an air defence
against opponents who aren't directly overhead, and it's also extremely
good at stuffing rolls (it's the move of choice for that application
IMHO). As mentioned earlier, it is also possible to use this move after
a low A or low B in a link combo.
If you're not using it for one of those three applications, however, I
wouldn't advise just sticking this move out, since it has a tendency to
whiff on crouching characters.
Usefulness: Marginally useful [***--]
Low D
-----
Chris assumes the "pushup" position and pistons both legs at his
opponent's shins. This costs him his balance and is rather slow to
recover. In keeping with most low Ds, it must be blocked low and knocks
the opponent over if it connects. As well as being laggy, it's not all
that fast to come out either (certainly nothing like Iori's, for
example), and it's not interruptable. It has _slightly_ more range than
the low B, but certainly that's not enough to make it worth using
(there's always the slide, remember?). The combination of the long
recovery time and the fact that Chris gets down so low means the low D
can be used to duck under high fireballs (Athena's, Kensou's, Takuma's
etc.), but again why would you bother when you've got the slide?
Overall, it's probably one of the worst low Ds in the game. I don't
suggest you use it at all.
Usefulness: Nigh useless [*----]
A preliminary note on jumping attacks:
--------------------------------------
In '98 Chris's jumping attacks are the same whether they are done from
a vertical jump or a diagonal jump (this was not the case in '97). And
we wondered how they were managing to stuff so much into the game with
this hardware, those sneaky SNK rascals.
Jumping A
---------
Chris extends one arm down at a shallow angle and strikes with his palm.
I don't see this move being too useful, but will admit that I haven't
messed around with it much.
Uselessness: Nigh useless [*----]
Jumping B
---------
Chris extends one leg down at a shallow angle and strikes with his foot.
Again, I don't find this move useful, but haven't fiddled around with it
much. Hopping back and forth with B might be useful occasionally for
general harassment.
Usefulness: Nigh useless [*----]
Jumping C
---------
A quick downward punch at roughly a 45 degree angle. The horizontal
range on this move is quite low, but it comes out quickly enough that it
is sometimes useful to surprise your opponent with in air-to-air
situations where the jumping CD would be too slow. The priority is quite
good too.
This move is interruptable, so if you wanted to be really weird I guess
you could do stuff like jump C, QCF+K (although it won't combo).
Usefulness: Marginally useful [***--]
Jumping D
---------
Chris twists away from the screen and strikes downward with one leg at
roughly a 45 degree angle. This is your best jumping combo starter. It's
also great at crossing up. Another thing to note is that it now comes
out a lot faster than it did in '97 (where it was kind of slow).
Usefulness: Very useful [*****]
Jumping CD
----------
Chris swings both legs together in an arc from upward to downward. Kind
of slow to come out, but the priority is truly godlike - one of the
highest priority air attacks in the game. Use it early and use it often.
A jump or hyper-jump CD is a great way to get in close while possibly
outprioritising any air defence your opponent may attempt. Only certain
counters (eg. Yamazaki's Sado-maso), moves that have autoguard (eg.
Terry's Rising Tackle), or moves that have true invulnerable windows
(eg. Clark's Frankensteiner) will be consistently effective against it.
It's also great for air-to-air if you do it early (ie. if you can get it
out in time). You can even outprioritise Iori's infamous jump D,
although it helps to be in the air first.
Again, if you want to be weird, it's interruptable into the Glider Stomp
(QCF+K in the air). And of course as a CD, it knocks the opponent down.
Curiously, it can be blocked low.
Usefulness: Too good [*****]**
3.2 Command Attacks and Throws
-------------------------------
Spinning Array (Fwd + A)
------------------------
Man, I wish I could have phrased the above so it didn't rhyme. Anyway,
this is the old faithful from '97. Chris clasps his hands together and
spins around completely, arms extended, in a long ranged single hit
bludgeoning move. This move is interruptable (whether chained or not)
and chains successfully off anything, so it is very useful. Needless to
say, most of your combos will involve this move. It's also your longest
ranged stationary poke.
In '97, the heavy Slide Palm (QCF+C) was the preferred followup.
However, with the changes that have occured this year not only has the
fwd+A -> QCF+C combo become somewhat unreliable, but it has also been
superceded by the new and improved HCB moves as followups. In
particular, both HCB+P variations combo flawlessly off the fwd+A from
all but absolute maximum range for both their hits. The HCB+P moves are
also unpunishable if blocked, so that little sequence is a good thing to
toss out occasionally from mid-long range. Be warned though, that an
opponent who is on the ball and has a really quick, high priority move
(like for example Ryo's DP or certain DMs) can hit Chris _between the
fwd+A and the HCB followup_ if the fwd+A is blocked. A corollary to this
fact is that _any_ character should be able to roll through (or dodge)
the move and probably punish Chris afterward. So if your opponent starts
doing any of this to you, um, don't use the fwd+A -> HCB+P so much when
it could be blocked. Sage advice, I know.
You can combo DMs off a close move -> fwd+A starter as long as you
didn't have a jumping attack in there as well. Except maybe a crossup,
not quite sure about that yet. Oh, and also, this doesn't include a Scum
Spider - you _can_ combo close C -> fwd+A -> (S)DM after a successful
Scum Spider. Anyway, on MAX only, the QCFx2+P SDM will combo. If you
don't have MAX, only the QCBx2+K DM will combo.
On the down side, you are left fairly vulnerable if you whiff the fwd+A,
and it does occasionally miss certain crouching characters. It's also
vulnerable to coincidentally timed jumps and rolls. Finally, if your
opponent is really on the ball, you can be swept out of this move (try
it against CPU Mai, Ryo, or Yashiro in a bad mood, for example, and
you'll see what I mean).
Usefulness: Very useful [*****]
Reverse Anchor Kick (Fwd + B)
-----------------------------
Chris balances on his hands and does a splits, kicking forward with one
leg for two hits. It's his standing D animation from '97. The second
hit is overhead when the move is not chained, and is interruptable when
the move is chained. However, since it's a two hit move, it pushes the
opponent further away than the equivalent chain involving a fwd+A, and
as such nothing will combo off it.
It's best used in isolation as an overhead and/or poke. Although it's
easier to see coming that many of the other overheads in the game, it's
still quick enough to be useful when thrown in occasionally. As a poke
its range is comparable to that of the fwd+A. The two hits also make it
very difficult to roll through.
Usefulness: Quite useful [****-]
Carry Off Kick (DwnFwd + B)
---------------------------
Chris slides forward with one leg outstretched. It's long-ranged, hits
low, is fast enough that it's hard to block (let alone counter) on
reaction, and is unpunishable if blocked from anything approaching
reasonable range. In short, it's a really nasty and annoying move that
probably should have been banned by the Geneva convention.
From your perspective as a Chris player, it's a move that - along with
the jump CD and the low and standing Bs - you can and should just toss
in whenever you can't think of anything better to do. As long as you
don't become _too_ predictable, it's almost never a bad option and will
be effective in many different situations. You can use it to get in
close pretty much at will. Used liberally, it will greatly reduce your
opponent's mobility since they need to be constantly worrying about it
and blocking low so much. This slide doesn't knock over if it hits, so
with the recovery being what it is you get to play fun mind games with
your opponent afterward whether it's blocked or not (more about this
later).
The slide is quite useful defensively as well. Because of the motion
it will _option select with the low B_ if your opponent rolls past you
just as you go to do the latter, and the resulting slide will stuff
their roll. It will also hit opponents who are landing from a jump, and
since the slide travels low enough that most jumping attacks not done
specifically late will whiff on it, it's a useful incidental air defence
as well. Last but not least, you can use it to slide under "high"
fireballs (Athena's, Kensou's, Takuma's, "alternate" AoF characters',
etc.) on reaction and hit the fireballer.
Again, what more could you ask for? He didn't need this move.
Usefulness: Too good [*****]**
Step Turn (Fwd/Back + C [close])
--------------------------------
Otherwise known as the punch throw. Chris grasps his opponent briefly
and then "runs up" him or her like a miniature version of Yuri's kick
DM. This throw will leave your opponent on the same side of you. The
opponent can recovery roll as they land from this throw.
Usefulness: Very useful [*****]
Aerial Drop (Fwd/Back + D [close])
----------------------------------
A.k.a. the kick throw. Chris grabs his opponent and flips over backward,
using his angular momentum to toss them away. Looks a bit like Yuri's
kick throw actually. Weird, why do I keep comparing things to Yuri?
Anyway, as with Yuri's - ahem - as with a lot of kick throws, this will
leave the opponent on the _opposite_ side of you, and I don't think they
can recovery roll as they land. On a more superfluous note, I reckon
there's a few frames in Chris's recovery from this throw that look like
they were used in the Scum Spider animation.
So which is the best throw to use? They leave the opponent on different
sides of you, so there are corner issues to be considered. If your
opponent is cornered and you want to keep them there, you should clearly
use the punch throw. Likewise, if _you're_ the one cornered you should
use the kick throw.
Other than that, you might think that the opponent being unable to
recovery roll after the kick throw is enough of an advantage to make it
the superior choice. However, note that while both option select into
interruptable heavy hits (which have the additional useful property of
hitting _upward_, in that such a hit will often tag an opponent who
jumps at the last minute), remember that the close D may not be
interrupted into a fwd+A. So if you wanted to get really fancy and
buffer in a fwd+A after all your walk-in throw attempts to take
full advantage of the option select, you couldn't do it with the kick
throw. Talk about minor issues though. I guess in the end it comes down
to personal preference. I need to check on the relative damages of the
two throws in case there's a difference.
Usefulness: Very useful [*****]
3.3 Specials
-------------
Slide Touch (QCF + P)
---------------------
Chris lunges forward and gives a close-fisted punch to the opponent's
midsection. The C version is slower to come out, but travels further.
Both versions of the move knock over if they connect. This was probably
his best special in '97, but that's all changed now. For one thing,
it's been slowed down - enough such that Chris's trademark '97 combo of
close C, fwd+A, QCF+C is no longer reliable. Both versions of the move
have also been given increased recovery, and are now punishable if
blocked. Finally, in '97 he used to strike with his palm after the
lunge.
None of this matters too much though (except possibly that last one - I
thought it looked cooler with the palm), because the powered-up HCB+P
moves have evolved to fill that yawning ecological niche quite nicely.
You won't find yourself using the Slide Touch much at all in '98. The A
version might _possibly_ come out faster than the first hit of a HCB+X,
in which case it's potentially useful for punishing slightly laggy
blocked moves when you end up just a bit too far away to start a combo
and don't have stock. But that's about it.
Usefulness: Fairly useless [**---]
Scramble Dash (QCF + K)
-----------------------
The full potential of Chris's trademark speed is finally unleashed. You
see a brief after-image of him pushing off, there's a short "swish!"
sound and then before you can think, he's travelled about 2/3 of the
way across the screen. An indescribably cool move. For all intensive
purposes it's a teleport - it will pass through the opponent. Using B
will cause Chris to dash along the ground, while in the D version he
will cross the distance with a single blindingly fast leap. The latter
version will clear fireballs like Iori's that travel along the ground.
Both versions travel (approximately) the same distance. Chris is fully
vulnerable while dashing/leaping, but whereas most teleport type moves
gain their advantage through some form of invulnerability window or
ambiguity in destination, the thing that makes this one useful is the
sheer raw speed of it. There's a tiny bit of recovery, but even
factoring that in you will often be able to teleport and
hit/throw/whatever your opponent before they can recover/react, provided
you don't try it every five seconds of course. It also makes a great
escape when you're cornered.
Usefulness: Marginally useful [***--]
Direction Change (DP + P)
-------------------------
Chris flips forward into the air, grabs his opponent by the head and
swings over them, leaving them momentarily exposed to a rear attack.
It's very similar to Orochi Yashiro's extremely nasty move from '97.
Historically this move is often referred to on the KoF ML as the Scum
Spider (a Mary Spider with the properties of Iori's Scum Gale), so I'll
call it that here too. Chris's Scum Spider doesn't have the range
range that Orochi Yashiro's does. I'm pretty sure there's a slight
difference in range between versions (the C version has more), but it's
low enough so that you'll have to be officially "in close" (within your
low B range) to attempt it successfully. To compensate for that, it's
quite fast compared to other moves with arachnoid nomenclature. Of
course it's unblockable, but as with Mary's and Orochi Yashiro's
Spiders, an opponent performing any type of jump becomes completely
immune regardless of proximity, and will likely hit you either in the
air or during the brief recovery after you've landed.
Despite this, the damage payoff from the free combo you get when you
land this move makes it worth attempting reasonably often from in close.
Try it after you've blocked a move from the opponent that leaves them
safe, but gives you the initiative - they might well be blocking low,
anticipating a retaliatory poke. Alternatively, try it after _they've_
blocked a safe move of _yours_ (slide, jump D/CD. HCB+P being the most
common examples) if you think they'll continue blocking in fear of a
DP+K or kick DM. You can also chuck it in at random during a low or
standing B barrage up close with a reasonable chance of success. It's
a good move to use sometimes as the opponent is getting up, if you think
they'll try and block. Another thing you can try is to roll past your
opponent and immediately do a Scum Spider - seeing a roll, most players
will try and hit you with a barrage of low attacks, or block; few will
instinctively _jump_ (against Chris anyway), at least until they've seen
this trick. One final thing you might want to experiment with is to
interrupt blocked combos (or single hits) into a Scum Spider for a sort
of pseudo-"tick" - for example, jump D, close C, fwd+A -(interrupt)->
Scum Spider. Or low B, low A-(interrupt)-> Scum Spider. Or simply fwd+A
-(interrupt)-> Scum Spider. Or whatever. It's certainly not hard for the
opponent to get out of if they're expecting it, but it will at least
force them to stay awake while blocking your combos. Furthermore, if you
can react to your Scum Spider "tick" combo actually hitting by doing a
HCB+P or DM on the fly instead (or react to your combo attempt being
blocked by doing a Scum Spider instead occasionally, depending on which
way you look at it), you'll really be kicking goals.
As you can see, there are many little tricks you can use to land this
move. If you mix things up enough you'll land one or two here and there,
and that should be all it takes to be well on the way to winning the
round.
As for followups... well, I guess many things are possible but IMHO the
most useful are:
close/far C (1 hit), fwd+A, HCB+C (without stock)
close/far C (1 hit), fwd+A, QCBx2+K (stock but not MAX)
close/far C (1 hit), fwd+A, QCFx2+P (stock and MAX)
If you're having trouble timing the C after the Scum Spider, I suggest
doing it earlier than you might expect. Depending on some factor I
haven't quite figured out yet (possibly the version of the Scum Spider
used), sometimes it will come out as a far C and sometimes as a close C.
In either case you can do the combo without having to move.
Usefulness: Very useful [*****]
Hunting Air (DP + K)
--------------------
Leaving a momentary after-image of himself crouching on the ground,
Chris shoots diagonally forward into the air and performs a fast
somersault kick. His foot leaves a brief light blue circular wake.
Forget the crappy (but cool looking) Hunting Air from '97, this one is
much more useful. One of its main uses is as a bog standard uppercut-
type air defence. It's very solid against all but the highest priority
air attacks (Iori's jump D, Joe's jump D, Chris's jump CD :P). It hits
in a wide arc, so doesn't miss incoming jumpers unless they're nearly
overhead. Certainly it has _huge_ reach forward in the air.
It's also great at hitting limbs on the ground, so it's always worth
buffering after a slide or HCB+P if you think they'll stick something
out (unless you want to try the kick DM instead, of course :) ).
Unsurprisingly, as a pseudo-uppercut it makes a reasonable wake-up
move too. Use the B version of the Hunting Air for limb-hitting/wake-up,
as the D version won't knock over grounded opponents.
Naturally this move has nasty punishable recovery if blocked or whiffed,
but what do you expect.
Usefulness: Quite useful [****-]
Shooting Dancer Thrust (HCB + P)
--------------------------------
Chris lunges forward and strikes with his (Fist? Shoulder? Elbow? I'll
have to actually pay attention one of these days), followed by either
a low B style kick (A version) or a Slide Touch style punch (C version).
The second hit of the A version must be blocked low (as in '97, Chris
will quip "Shita da yo!" ("Below you!") as he does it). The second hit
of the C version can be blocked anywhere (but possibly does more damage?
I still have to check this). In both cases, the second hit will combo if
the first hits. Both versions are completely unpunishable if blocked.
This is a great move now. The inclusion of that early first hit has made
all the difference. It will combo off any interruptable heavy hit (in
particular, once you've played Chris for a while you will _dream_ about
close C, fwd+A, HCB+P combos). You're usually safe putting it in whether
the combo was blocked or not, so it's also your workhorse special move
for ticking off damage and generally building up that ole' guard crush
meter. But beware of opponents trying to sneak an uppercut, DM, or roll
between the fwd+A and the HCB+P when they block it. That is to say, it's
not a true combo if blocked.
Neither version of the move will knock the opponent down if it hits, so
both can be used to set up further mind games with throw/DP+K/overhead/
Scum Spider/whatever whether blocked or not.
I wouldn't suggest using this move in isolation very often, since the
startup is kind of vulnerable (especially to sweeps). I'd advise making
the opponent block with a preliminary standing B or two before firing it
up, or alternatively 2-in-1ing off an isolated fwd+A poke. Strangely
enough, the first hit of a HCB+X seems to be fairly good against air
attacks though.
In combos I'd suggest using the C version for the possibly greater
damage (it's gotta have something going for it, right?). If you're not
sure whether the move will be blocked or not (ie. you did it on its
own, or off a single fwd+A) then you might want to go for the A version,
since you never know when your opponent might fall asleep and you'll
catch them with the last low kick. Possibly even try one of the HCB+K
overhead versions, if you're pretty sure the opponent will block -
they're probably more likely to catch him/her off guard with the second
hit, but the downside is you don't get a combo if the first hit lands.
Usefulness: Very useful [*****]
Shooting Dancer Step (HCB + K)
------------------------------
This is the overhead version of the Shooting Dancer Thrust. The startup
and first hit is the same as the latter. Chris will then leap into the
air (with a cry of "Ue da yo!" ("Above you!")) and deliver a stomp to
the opponent's head, This must be blocked high, and will knock the
opponent over if it hits. Note that the stomp will not combo even if
the first hit of the move connects.
After delivering the stomp Chris will bounce off and land about 1/3 of
the screen away, either continuing forward to land behind the opponent
(B version) or bouncing back to land in front of the opponent (D
version). In both cases the "bouncing away" phase can be cancelled into
a Glider Stomp (QCF+K). In the case of the D version this can be done
throughout the bouncing away phase, so depending on what the opponent is
doing you should be able to time/space your Glider Stomp such that you
escape from the whole experience unpunished. In the case of the B
version, the Glider Stomp must be done before Chris actually gets behind
his opponent (I think), ie. almost _immediately_. From this range the
Glider Stomp itself is often punishable.
What happens if you don't cancel the "bouncing away" animation? Well,
depending on the opponent, you can _sometimes_ get away with it as long
as you're not near the corresponding corner (your corner in the case of
the D version, the opposite corner in the case of the B version). Your
opponent may have a rushing move that can hit you as you land/recover,
or they may simply be fast enough to dash after you and hit you.
What it boils down to is that this is a move that should be used pretty
infrequently. Maybe once or twice a round just to keep the opponent
honest. The second hit is not difficult to block on reaction - when
dealing with any HCB move, the best protocol for the opponent is to
block low as a general rule and switch to high if Chris leaves the
ground after the first hit. But if you use it rarely enough you might
occasionally catch someone. When you do use it, I'd generally stick to
the D version so you have the option of cancelling safely into a Glider
Stomp. The B version might be used on occasion as a stylish way of
getting out of the corner, if you can 2-in-1 it off something or
otherwise get the initiative.
Usefulness: Fairly useless [**---]
Glider Stomp (QCF + K in air)
-----------------------------
From an airborne position, Chris suddenly lunges diagonally downward to
strike with his extended leg. It's another speed-based move that makes a
"whoosh!" noise and leaves a brief after-image behind. You also get to
hear Chris's C win pose chuckle just as he does it (which kind of
telegraphs it a bit, actually). Despite its appearance, this move can be
blocked low.
The B version comes down at a steeper angle than the D version. If done
at the apex of a vertical jump, the D version will hit from just over
half screen. The B version will hit from just under 1/3 screen.
Although you certainly can't start combos using this move (someone will
probably correct me on this one :P), the recovery is kind of OK. You
should be safe when this move is blocked if you spaced it correctly,
meaning you chose the correct version from about the correct height and
neither whiffed nor hit too "shallowly" (early). You should aim to hit
your opponent at about waist height or below. It's more forgiving than
say a Phoenix Arrow but less so than a Hishoukyaku.
As far as applications go, the business about cancelling the bounce-back
animation of a Shooting Dancer Step has already been described. Other
than that, it's pretty much like all moves of its type. Occasionally
jump straight up (or back, if you're really close), and if you see your
opponent coincidentally whiff something do it straight away. Otherwise
wait for the safe height/spacing, or stick out some other jumping attack
on the way down. You might also occasionally surprise someone by firing
it up well into a backward jump as they advance after you.
Usefulness: Marginally useful [***--]
3.4 DMs
--------
Chain Slide Touch (QCF, QCF + P)
--------------------------------
DM: Chris performs a series of five short dashing strikes with his
palm. The last one knocks the opponent over.
SDM: Chris performs a series of seven short dashing strikes with his
palm, with a huge burst of orange energy accompanying each one. He</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
finishes with a similarly endowed lunging strike, knocking the
opponent over.
As he starts the DM he's saying "Enryonaku ikimasu!" ("Without
hesitation, here I come!"). This is the less useful of Chris's two DMs.
At DM the first hit comes out quite quickly (it's among the quickest of
all Chris's moves), but has poor range. The DM version will combo off a
close heavy hit, but will not combo off a close C, fwd+A chain. Still,
the speed of that first hit makes it occasionally useful for punishing
laggy blocked moves that leave you just a bit too far away to start a
better combo, and where you haven't got time to dash in (King's Mirage
Kick being an example).
On SDM the first hit has more range, so it _will_ combo off a close C,
fwd+A chain started on the ground for the ultimate Scum Spider followup.
If you're having trouble with overlaps with the Scum Spider during this
combo, try delaying the button press just a little bit. The SDM is also
similarly useful for punishment of blocked moves.
Other than combos and occasional punishment, this DM isn't that useful.
Because of its fairly crap priority, it's not useful for outprioritising
your opponent's attacks on reaction/anticipation. For the same reason
it's also fairly crap as wake-up (the kick DM is better), and neither
is it any sort of air defence at all (even if you hit an airborne
opponent, they will bounce away safely after taking one or maybe two
hits).
Usefulness: Marginally useful [***--]
Twister Drive (QCB, QCB + K)
----------------------------
DM: Chris winds up and launches himself forward into the air,
performing multiple Hunting Air somersault kicks. At the peak of
his ascent there is a pause, then he shoots back to the ground in a
Glider Stomp-like fashion.
SDM: The above prefaced with a similar (but lower) assault. Other than
in certain pathological situations, the opponent will always be
juggled by the second series of kicks if the first hits.
As he starts the DM he's saying "Honki dashimasu ne" ("I'm putting forth
seriously" (?)).
This is your best DM by far. It really kicks ass now. In stark contrast
to last year, the priority on it is pretty much unquestionable even at
DM level. I'm pretty sure there's at least one invulnerable frame in the
startup somewhere (again, even at DM level), as I've had hit frames
literally right on top of me when I've done it and I ended up hitting
them.
At DM level it will combo off a close C, fwd+A chain started on the
ground (it won't on SDM level - I guess the additional MAX pushback puts
the opponent out of its fairly suck range). This is the best Scum Spider
followup if you have stock but not MAX.
The great priority means it's an excellent air defence at both levels.
Being a multi-hit affair, you want to do it as late as possible against
a jumper to maximise your damage. Do it too early and you might only get
two crappy hits.
The invulnerable frame(s) coupled with the priority also make it an
awesome wake-up move (Chris's best, and only one worth mentioning other
than DP+B). It's similarly great for outprioritising your opponent's
attacks up close and nabbing them. And needless to say, it's perfect for
use late against rushing attacks.
To sum up, you should get a lot of opportunities to land this move. From
mid range, occasionally just start performing the motion and if you see
them do a rushing attack (beware of dash fakes though), follow through
with it and hit the button. Likewise, if you see them hop or even jump,
follow through and hit the button (remember later is better for jumps).
As wake-up, or after a blocked slide, jump CD, or HCB+P, buffer the
motion and hit the button if you see them stick out anything.
One cautionary note: The horizontal range on this move is lower than
you'd think, so I'd advise against using it to punish whiffed/blocked
moves unless they've really stuffed themselves down your throat (in
which case you'll have better options). Likewise with wake-up and "limb
grabbing" - don't try it from very far away at all or you might
completely whiff. A DP+B is probably a better choice for limb grabbing
and wake-up if you're not sure about the range.
Usefulness: Very useful [*****]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Strategy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just jump CD and slide all day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Acknowledgements/Credits
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you think you should be here and you're not, let me know :)
* The membership and administration of the King of Fighters Mailing
List. Email
[email protected] with SUBSCRIBE as the subject to
subscribe.
* Adelaide's "Tilt" arcade (the first arcade here to get KoF'98), and
the KoF regulars there.
* Nene - fellow Chris player and initial proofreader.
* Shlomo Abraham - administrative assistant to the writer and creator
of the FAQ.
* Various KoF ML members for their feedback and suggestions:
"But wait! I can't just do that! It's cheesy. And scrubby. Plus, it's
turtling. I want to _combo_ my opponent!"
4.1 Combos
-----------
"Oh, it's his nickname. That means he is a little genius at killing."
This section almost certainly still needs work. Bear with me :)
It'll be better once I have the cart. At least all the common/useful in
an actual match combos should be here.
A (?) means I'm pretty sure but not 100% sure about the combo.
Jumping combos
--------------
Jump D, close C, fwd+A, HCB+P - Pretty much the only jumping
combo you'll need.
(?) Crossup D, close C, fwd+A, QCBx2+K - DM only
(?) Crossup D, close C, fwd+A, QCFx2+P - SDM only
Ground combos (includes Scum Spider followups)
----------------------------------------------
Close/far C (1 hit), fwd+A, HCB+P - The old faithful.
Close/far C (1 hit), fwd+A, QCBx2+K - DM only.
Close/far C (1 hit), fwd+A, QCFx2+P - SDM only.
Link combos
-----------
Low B, stand A, fwd+A, HCB+P
Low B, close B, fwd+A, HCB+P
Low B, low A, fwd+A, HCB+P
(?) Low B, [stand A/close B/low A], fwd+A, QCBx2+K - DM only
(?) Low B, [stand A/close B/low A], fwd+A, QCFx2+A - DM or SDM
(?) Low C (1 hit), fwd+A, QCFx2+A - DM or SDM
VCD combos
----------
Thanks to Yasakani for posting these. i cannot confirm them yet.
(?) Crossup D, low A, low C, fwd+A, QCFx2+A
(?) DP+P, low B, low A, low C, fwd+A, HCB+A - Corner
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Acknowledgements/Credits
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you think you should be here and you're not, let me know :)
* The membership and administration of the King of Fighters Mailing
List. Email
[email protected] with SUBSCRIBE as the subject to
subscribe.
* Adelaide's "Tilt" arcade (the first arcade here to get KoF'98), and
the KoF regulars there.
* Nene - fellow Chris player and initial proofreader.
* Shlomo Abraham - administrative assistant to the writer and creator
of the FAQ.
* Various KoF ML members for their feedback and suggestions:
What, still not enough for you? You want even _more_ strategy? No? Well,
here's some anyway. Most of this stuff is kind of obvious and/or generic
at the moment. Hopefully I'll figure out (or someone will tell me) some
more subtle/tricky stuff later. Plus, a lot of it has probably already
been said in one way or another somewhere in the "moves" section, so
apologies in advance if I get too redundant.
4.2 Advanced vs. Extra
-----------------------
Although I'm a fairly hard core Advanced player, I can see a case for
using Chris in Extra mode. Moves like the teleport, slide, and the
various lunging attacks should in theory offset the mobility loss caused
by the lack of the Advanced dash, even though his Extra dash is too
short to be useful IMHO. Both modes can now hop, so there's no
distinction to be made there. The extra 25% damage on MAX is always
useful, although since comparitively few of Chris's moves knock the
opponent over he may have a harder time charging up than other
characters (you might want to put your Extra Chris towards the end of
the team for this reason). On the bright side, you don't have to worry
about the capriciously random "mood" system that Advanced mode enjoys.
Individual preference for rolls or dodges might also play a part.
Personally I don't roll much, so it's not a big issue for me. I also
have to rather shamefully admit that I don't know anything about Chris's
dodge attack or what he can do with it. I'll have to fiddle around with
that later (this guide rocks with skill, doesn't it? :P).
For pros of Advanced Mode we have obviously the throw escapes, although
even they are tighter to pull off this year. The biggest advantage given
to Chris by Advanced Mode IMHO is that due to his style of play - his
frequent largish risk-free blocked combos, and his relatively safe basic
offense in general, he charges up stocks quite quickly. As a rule of
thumb I like to save one stock for the ever-present possibility of
landing a Twister Drive DM, and MAX myself if and when I get two or
more. I don't use CD counters or MAX rolls much, unless I'm full on
stock _and_ MAXed (very rare).
In summary, I can't clearly recommend one mode over the other. He's OK
in either, really.
4.3 Elements of gameplay
-------------------------
At the core of your game will be four moves: the jump CD, the slide, and
the low and far standing Bs. With these four moves you have the tools to
effectively control the distance to most opponents, and possibly score a
few incidental hits in the bargain. If you want to be up close, you can
get in with a jump CD or slide. If you want to be far away again, you
can poke your way out with a combination of low and standing Bs. This is
the fundamental framework into which you will insert Chris's various
offensive techniques.
Poking with fwd+A -> HCB+X
--------------------------
This is a good tactic to try fairly often, since the range and speed on
the fwd+A can catch people not blocking. Additionally, since it's not
telegraphed by a preceding jump D, standing C combination, it should be
harder for the opponent to try something nasty on reaction between the
fwd+A and the HCB+X if they do block. The fwd+A also helps shield the
somewhat vulnerable startup of the HCB+X.
If it hits, you also get both hits on a HCB+P followup FOR FREE! If it's
blocked, you hopefully get to do some tick and guard crush damage, and
then you're in close for a nice follow-up guessing game.
Obviously you want to do this from a fairly reasonable distance, but not
_too_ far - just toward the limit of your standing B range (or a bit
further) is good. You will not want your opponent to jump just as you do
the fwd+A, so it might be a good idea to pin them (at least
psychologically) with a stand B or two beforehand if you're in range.
Another alternative would be to throw a fwd+A -> HCB+X poke in right
after you've just DPed them out of the air, when they might not be in
such a jumpin' mood.
So which variation of HCB+X should you use? I talked about this a fair
bit in the "Moves" section, but here's a brief recap:
HCB+C Advantages: Both hits combo. More damage?
Disadvantages: Won't ever "trick" the opponent if blocked.
HCB+A Advantages: Both hits combo, second low hit might "trick"
the opponent.
Disadvantages: Less damage than HCB+C? Less "tricky" than the
kick variations.
HCB+D Advantages: Second overhead hit might "trick" the opponent.
Disadvantages: Second hit doesn't combo after first.
Potentially risky if blocked.
Doesn't leave you close for a possible guessing
game.
HCB+B Advantages: Second overhead hit might "trick" the opponent.
Disadvantages: Second hit doesn't combo after first.
HCB+D is just as "tricky," and less risky if
blocked.
Doesn't leave you close for a possible guessing
game.
Pretty clearly the punch versions should be your stock followup (I'd
suggest using the A version). I'd suggest throwing in a kick variation
only rarely, maybe once a round on average. And there I'd advise
sticking to the D version with it's safer Glider Stomp followup window,
unless your proximity to the corner is an issue.
Poking with fwd+B
-----------------
Not only is this an overhead (on the second hit), but it's also one of
your longer-ranged moves. So it's fairly useful to stick out one of
these from longish (stand B or a bit further) range on a semi-regular
basis. From this sort of range, the first hit will whiff so your
opponent will have less warning about the second hit (the overhead).
If you've been going kind of heavy on the slides and/or low Bs, a sudden
long ranged overhead thrown into the mix might pose a bit of a problem
for all but dedicated caffiene drinkers. It's also a safer option than
the fwd+A - the double hit tends to stuff rolls, and it seems to be
better at stuffing coincidental jumps.
Mind games after blocked moves
------------------------------
This is where you'll get a lot of your damage as Chris. The blocked
moves referred to are mainly the slide, HCB+P, and the jump CD. Each is
unpunishable and leaves you close to your opponent. The opponent will
have the initiative (except in the case of the jump CD), but whatever
they decide to do, you have a counter for it. Here is a list of some of
your options:
# DP + B (buffered, then react to their attack)
# QCBx2 + K (buffered, then react to their attack)
# Nothing (just block, hoping they whiff something big)
* Crossup jump D
* Overhead
* Throw
* Scum Spider
The options marked with a # are applicable if you expect your opponent
to attempt to _retaliate_ in some way, while those marked with a * are
applicable if you expect them to _block_.
Although this section refers to _blocked_ moves, note that these
techniques will be applicable even after a slide or HCB+P _connects_
since they don't knock your opponent over.
More generally, this list applies pretty much whenever you're close to
your opponent, although you may need to gain the initiative with a low B
or whatever so you've got time to buffer any motions (since your
opponent generally won't be in block stun). If you're feeling
particularly spontaneous, remember that another available option is to
jump back or up, ready to Glider Stomp any whiffed move.
Jump D combo attempts
---------------------
Don't forget that like everyone else, you can occasionally get lucky
with these. Things like anticipating a laggy low move from up close with
a hop D combo attempt still work. Another good trick is to jump in with
either CD or D, assuming/hoping they'll block, then straight away jump
again with D - you'll be perfectly spaced for a crossup, while their
first instinct will be to block low in the _other_ direction, expecting
a followup from your previous attack.
Even if a jump D combo is blocked, you've still done a bit of tick
damage, a whole lot of guard crush damage, and you're left up close for
a nice guessing game to boot.
Using links: low B -> X
-----------------------
As a preface to this section, I'll say that IMHO these links aren't as
useful to Chris as they are to characters like say Kim or Ralf, who need
the extra time afforded by the link to both charge their special move
and to see if the combo will actually connect (since doing the move
otherwise would leave them vulnerable). Chris has no charge moves and
his standard combos tend to be safe if blocked anyway, so he can get
along fine without bothering about these links. They do add a bit of
sting to his close-in game, but they aren't _essential_ by any means.
Nevertheless, I'll include a section on them for completeness.
Chris can link his excellent low B into his standing A, close standing
B, low A, and low C. If you want to use these things, typically, you'll
be aiming for something like low B -(link)-> X -(interrupt)-> fwd+A
-(interrupt)-> followup. Each of the candidates for "X" mentioned above
has advantages and disadvantages, although some have more of one than
the other :) Here's a summary:
Low A - Advantages: Longest range, hits all crouchers.
Disadvantages: Low A -> fwd+A possibly overlaps with Slide
Palm (or even Scum Spider if you're a spaz).
Low C - Advantages: Range is reasonable.
More damage (even though you must interrupt the
first hit, it's still a heavy move right?).
Disadvantages: A _lot_ harder to time the link than with the
light moves.
May whiff on crouchers if you're a bit too far
away.
Vulnerable lag if whiffed.
Overlaps may be a problem, as above.
Close B - Advantages: Hits all crouchers, no overlap.
Disadvantages: Low A and low C have more range.
Stand A - Advantages: No overlap, um... that's about all :P
Disadvanatges: Smallest range, whiffs a lot on crouchers.
OK in "empty hop -> low B" case described
below.
Looking at the above chart, the low A looks like the clear winner unless
you're having tangible problems with associated overlaps. The low C
might be there as well, except that it's significantly harder to pull
off. The standing moves don't seem to have much going for them. But of
course it all comes down to personal preference in the end.
So, how do you make these things useful in an actual match? One thing
you can do is simply to get into the habit of tapping out the whole
sequence (or at least the start of it) instinctively whenever you're
really close to your opponent and have nothing better to do. Initially
it will be easier to do if you know an opportunity is coming, so start
by employing your choice of link combo as one of your stock followups to
an offensive approach (roll, dash, telelport) that you initiate. Once
you've got it down, try and start using it any time your opponent is up
close and you'd normally stick out a single (or more than a single) low
B. That is, whenever you'd normally go "Yikes! He's right next to me!
Better do a few low Bs," instead do say low B, low A, fwd + A, buffer a
followup motion, and then worry about whether you actually hit with the
low B (not that it usually matters if your followup was a HCB+P anyway).
If that becomes your instinctive response to any sudden "close proximity
of opponent" situation rather than a mindless barrage, then you're in
good shape. However, none of this is anything that can't be done just as
safely and effectively with a single close C as the combo starter.
One trick that can't be done just as well with a close C I'll call the
"empty hop -> low B" trick. The idea is to suddenly hop in from
reasonably close range and, instead of attacking in the air, go straight
into a low B link combo upon landing. It works because the opponent is
still blocking high, waiting for the air attack. Obviously you want to
do it while air defence isn't the topmost thought in your opponent's
mind, either due to the unexpectedness of the hop or because you've
otherwise intimidated them into blocking your jumping attacks
(*coughjumpCDcough*). Unsurprisingly this trick can be (and is often)
employed by other characters as well. People who've played as/against
offensive Kyos, for example, probably know it pretty well.
Using the Teleport
------------------
"It'll be one step short..."
With a move as cool as this in your arsenal, it would be a shame if it
never served any useful function. Fortunately there are a few
applications that come to mind involving it.
One thing that's fun to do every once in a while, and can be quite
effective, is to simply use the intimidating speed of the teleport to
your advantage in a straightforward offensive fashion. From longish
range, dash backward to get the spacing approximately right (so you will
land very close to your opponent). Then just B teleport in and do some
random shit - throw (especially effective in my experience), DP, Spider,
combo (this might be a good time to attempt a low B link combo, since
you'll hopefully end up very close), whatever. Your Scramble Dash is so
fast that you'll often be able to get there before they can react, and
once they do react they'll have to guess what you're doing. Ideally
you'd want to space the teleport exactly enough so that it's ambiguous
even what side of the opponent you'll end up on.
If you're up against a character with a ground FB (Iori, Saishu, Rugal,
'94 Kyo, RB2 Terry), always keep your D teleport in mind for clearing
their FB and possibly hitting them before they recover. Give them plenty
of opportunities to throw one as you meander apparently uncertainly
around your D teleport distance, on a hair trigger to nail that QCF+D
motion.
Obviously the teleport provides an excellent means of escaping the
corner. Extending this realisation to its logical conclusion, we find
it's also an excellent means of keeping away from your opponent
generally. Indeed, when you're ahead and time's running out it can be
fun to do exactly that. Allow yourself to be backed near or into the
corner, then when you get an opportunity teleport through your opponent
to safety (using a B teleport to go under jumps and a D teleport to go
over a grounded opponent makes it less likely you'll be accidentally
hit). Stand there grinning at them until they come after you again, then
repeat the process. Do this for a while, then just when you think
they're getting desperate/frustrated beyond the point of caution,
suddenly counterattack and finish them off. Or don't :)
Wake-up
-------
Chris has a really good wake-up move: the Twister Drive (S)DM (QCBx2+K).
Whenever you're getting up and have stock, buffer this motion and hit
the button if/when you see them attack. If you don't have a DM
available the DP+B can be used as an acceptable substitute, or you can
always just try and block of course (or jump if you suspect a wake-up
throw attempt is coming).
When you're the one standing over your temporarily prone opponent, I'd
suggest you mix up the following things as they get up:
- Crossup jump D
- Scum Spider
- Overhead (fwd + B)
- Throw (DON'T try this on grapplers)
- Nothing (Walk in purposefully, then stop and crouch block just as they
stand up.)
Obviously if your opponent is someone with a great wake-up DM like Ralf
or Athena and they have stock, you should modify your alternatives
somewhat.
Air defence
-----------
I thought it might be useful to summarise all your options here under
the one heading.
Ground-to-air (roughly in descending order of usefulness):
- Late QCBx2 + K (S)DM
- Early DP + K
- Low C
- Standing D
Air-to-air
- Jump CD, if you have time
- Jump C, if you need it quickly
Mixing it up
------------
"Having no emotions, no one can really anticipate him in any way."
Unpredictability is of course helpful when playing any character, but I
can't think of anyone who can profit from it as much as Chris. You have
attacks that hit your opponent when they're blocking high (slide),
attacks that hit them when they're blocking low (fwd+B), attacks that
hit no matter which way they're blocking (throw, Scum Spider), attacks
that hit _unless_ they're blocking (Twister Drive DM or DP+K up close,
fwd+A from nowhere into a HCB combo), attacks that hit them if they jump
(DP+K), and attacks that hit them if they don't jump (Scum Spider). You
can cross the screen in an instant (teleport). With all this, if you
play your cards right, you can have your opponent helplessly thinking
"what the hell is going on here?", and that everything they do, or don't
do, is a mistake. Above everything else, being hard to anticipate and
constantly outguessing your opponent will be the real key to your
success as a Chris player. I can present various techniques here, but
it's up to you as the player to be unpredictable enough in using them
that they become consistently successful.
4.3 Matchups
-------------
"I guess their match comes down to..."
Rather than a blow by blow description of what to do versus each
individual character (the stuff from the previous section should work,
that's what it's there for, right? :) ), this will simply be a
collection of random tidbits that are useful to keep in mind during
particular matchups.
Kyo
---
If it's '98 Kyo, your slide eats his firefists for breakfast. Watch for
the low counter if you do it too often though.
If it's '94 Kyo, you can D teleport over his fireballs.
Benimaru
--------
It's best to try to stay on the attack against Benimaru. Playing
defensively will only lead to you getting eventually tick damaged/
crossed up to death.
Whenever you block a Shinkuu Katategoma (that annoying spinning kick
that does 800 million points of tick damage), mash on the slide. Unless
he spaced it perfectly, you should hit him with it afterward.
A good Benimaru player will devote a fair portion of his life to trying
to cross you up. See the section on fighting Shermie for suggestions
on how to deal with this.
Goro
----
His jump D can out-prioritise your DP+K, but your QCBx2+K DM still works
fairly well on his jumps.
Other than than, um... good luck :)
Leona
-----
Slide.
Ralf
----
If you're up against a scrub style Ralf (stand C and low C all day), you
won't have much luck poking with fwd+A or anything else for that matter.
The best idea is to get outside his stand C range and hyper jump in
(he's got crap for air defence, unless he's charged), then try something
tricky up close. If you lose the initiative, try and get back out again
and repeat. Rolling and teleporting are pretty useless, since ralph
would "punch" u
And need I mention, don't ever attack a stock-endowed Ralf when he's
down with a ground based attack.
Clark
-----
Still a really nasty character. Between his Frankensteiner and his
awesome jump D, he can confine you to the ground pretty well (!). You've
also got to actually watch the ranges that you slide from (imagine
that!), because of the awesome reach of his backbreaker. I pretty much
suck against Clark, so you should probably do the exact opposite of what
I say. But IMHO it's best to play a conservative game against him. Keep
him back on the ground with liberal use of standing B, and _always_ be
watching for the jump. Punish jumps with the kick DM, DP+K, low C,
whatever... just _don't let him land next to you_! Jump up/back and
air-block if you have to.
You also need to worry about rolls - if you see him trying to roll
through a standing B or whatever, don't try to mash your way out. The
best idea is probably to hop straight up (although if you _anticipate_ a
roll, _you_ can usually throw _him_, hehehe). If you hop straight up
whenever you see a roll (or dash) coming, you'll hopefully be able to
punish the whiff animation of the nearly inevitable grab tacked on the
end.
For offense against Clark, you probably want to pretty much avoid poking
with fwd+A since it's so easy to jump over. Fwd+B might be OK to use
occasionally. The best idea though is probably to knock him over somehow
(you'll probably have to use a CD counter) and then try a crossup D or
Scum Spider on him as he gets up. Do _not_ try any close ground based
attacks :)
Kim
---
Slide.
Chang
-----
You can slide in to hit him whenever he does his spinning ball move and
you're out of range.
Choi
----
Some Choi players will try and abuse their drill claw move. They'll use
the old in-in-in-out at every opportunity, hoping to catch you in the
air for a malenky bit of ultra-violence. This is good news for you,
since your jump CD will beat their drill claw move cleanly (as well as
anything else they can throw at you from the ground). Beat them at their
own one move game :)
The Choi players you've got to watch are those that spend most of their
time doing huge jumps and hyper jumps all over the place, staying far
out of reach of your jumping attacks while gaining incidental damage
with their own as well as the Hishoukyaku. They'll also be trying to
cross you up at every opportunity (see the section on Shermie for
advice on this).
My advice: Slide.
Iori
----
Remember you can D teleport over his FBs. You might have a bit of a
problem dealing with his godlike jumping D. Not only can it give you a
run for your money air-to-air, but it will also tend to outprioritise
anything you throw at it from the ground. See the section on Chris for
suggestions on handling moves like this.
Another thing to be aware of when fighting Iori is that he can Maiden
Masher DM you between a blocked fwd+A and any HCB followup.
Mature
------
Slide.
Vice
----
Slide.
Terry
-----
Sli- wait a minute, this guy can hit slides with his FBs! The nerve!
If it's RB2 Terry, remember you can D teleport over his FBs.
Joe
---
His Hurricane Uppers hit your slides as well. His jumping D has gained a
whole shiteload of priority this year, and can beat your DP+K cleanly.
See the section on Chris for tips on dealing with moves like this.
Andy
----
Slide. If it's RB2 Andy, slide. It goes under his FBs.
Athena
------
You can slide under her FBs. _Don't_ attack her when she's knocked over
with stock, since her SCB DM is an awesome wake-up and does huge damage.
Kensou
------
You can slide under his FBs.
Chin
----
Slide. Unpredictably, of course, or he'll nail you with a Rush:1E08 DP+P
move.
Yashiro
-------
This is another guy who can give you problems air-to-air, with his own
nasty jump D and CD. Stick to the ground more in this fight.
Shermie
-------
One thing that makes Shermie dangerous is that she has a really nasty
crossup jump C. I've found the best defence against it is as follows:
When you see it coming, perform a low C in the _opposite_ direction (the
side she'll end up on after she jumps). So when you see her jump over
you, hold dwnfwd and press C. Hopefully you'll hit her or at least
trade (and as a general rule, if you plan on trading frequently, MAX
yourself ASAP :) ). If this doesn't work very well for you, another way
out is to immediately roll in the direction she jumped _from_.
Chris
-----
Contrary to the impression given by the rest of this matchups section,
players who slide too predictably/often aren't that big of a problem.
Just get in the habit of doing sporadic vertical hops/jumps at random
every now and again. Sooner or later your slide happy opponent will
happen to slide at the same time as you jump, and you'll be able to
combo (or at least hit) him/her on the way down. Simple no? This applies
when fighting other characters with safe slides too (eg. King, Chizuru).
The other issue you'll have to deal with when fighting Chris is the jump
CD. How do you deal with a move that can outprioritise anything you
throw at it? Fortunately, there is a way that, with a bit of educated
outguessing of your opponent, you can still come out on top without
resorting to the same thing. What you need to do is mix up your air
defence in a way that forces him to guess when to stick out his attack
(early or late). For example, suppose your opponent jumps at you
intending to time his attack to hit you on the ground. If you suddenly
jump at him and stick out an early jump C, for example, he (hopefully)
won't be able to react in time to change his plans and you'll hit him.
So next time he jumps, he might stick out his attack early in order to
counter a repeat jump C counterattack attempt. That's when you want to
be doing a late air defence like a crouch C or ideally a really late
kick DM or SDM. And remember _you_ don't _have_ to guess - you can
always just block, which is a luxury the jumper doesn't have. It also
saves you from eating a huge combo every time you guess wrong about an
early attack :) Again, this technique can be applied to any character
who can outprioritise all your air defences with his/her jumping attacks
(*coughIoricough*).
One more thing about fighting Chris - remember to unsettle him by
touching his head as often as possible. He hates it remember? Go all out
on the Scum Spiders, and whenever you land one, rub it in by saying (as
you're doing the followup combo) "Well, how did you like that? Guess I
touched your head then, huh?" You'll annoy him and have his mind in
conflict in no time, and you'll win. It's all about psychological
warfare.
Heidern
-------
Slide.
Saishu
------
Remember you can D teleport over his FBs.
Takuma
------
You can slide under his FBs.
Ryo
---
You can slide under '94 Ryo's FBs. One thing you need to be aware of
when fighting '94 Ryo is that his A DP has such good range and recovery
that, if you block it, he can immediately follow it up with another to
hit any retaliatiory attack you may attempt. Basically, it's a safe move
for him to tick off damage with. If you want to hit him afterward, you
need to fake him out into doing _another_ one after the first, which
will whiff. Then you can hit him.
Another thing you need to be aware of when fighting Ryo is that he is an
example of a character who can hit you between a blocked fwd+A and any
HCB followup (with his DP).
Robert
------
You can slide under '94 Robert's FBs.
Yuri
----
You can slide under '94 Yuri's FBs.
Chizuru
-------
See the Chris section for suggestions on handling slide happy players.
Mai
---
You can slide under her Kachosens.
King
----
You can slide under her FBs. She's another character who can give you a
run for your money air-to-air, but air-to-ground she's not so great.
See the Chris section for suggestions on handling slide happy players.
Yamazaki
--------
Don't jump so much, since the combination of the A Snake Arm and the
Sado-Maso counter gives Yamazaki a respectable air defence against you.
Mary
----
Slide.
Billy
-----
You can't slide so much since both his low A and his low counter are
effective against it.
Brian
-----
Slide.
Lucky
-----
Slide.
Heavy D!
--------
Slide.
Rugal
-----
You can D teleport over his Reppukens.
Shingo
------
Slide.
"I think he's been watching too much 'Sliders'." - Luche.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Acknowledgements/Credits
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you think you should be here and you're not, let me know :)
* The membership and administration of the King of Fighters Mailing
List. Email
[email protected] with SUBSCRIBE as the subject to
subscribe.
* Adelaide's "Tilt" arcade (the first arcade here to get KoF'98), and
the KoF regulars there.
* Nene - fellow Chris player and initial proofreader.
* Shlomo Abraham - administrative assistant to the writer and creator
of the FAQ.
* Various KoF ML members for their feedback and suggestions:
EX Andy, Yasakani, Ranchan, Shlomo Abraham, Brian Lui, Pancho.
* Biographical data, move names, and translations taken from FAQs by
Kao Megura.
* Translation of vs. Rugal opening from Henry Moriarty's Rugal guide,
available at:
http://mmcafe.telnet.or.jp/kof98/rugal98.txt
* VCD combos posted by Yasakani.
* Various quotes from Rurouni Kenshin, (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Jump
Comics, and Sony Entertainment. Subtitles (c) Shin Sen Gumi/Hecto.
* The Cephalopod page,
http://is.dal.ca/~ceph/wood.html
========================================================================
"So... I'll be back soon."
